How
marvelously fortunate we are that the lectionary should bring us Mark’s
story of the raising up of Jairus’ daughter on this beautiful
summer morning on which we baptize a new daughter of Christ, baby
Megan. Megan and her big sister, Emma, are, of course, already part
of this church family. They have been since before they were even
born. All their grandparents are here and their parents, Matt and
Kim, were born into this congregation and raised up in its love.
But
something extra special happens in Megan’s life this day. She
is baptized and received into the family of Christ Jesus. She is God’s
beloved daughter and she will rise up in new life in Christ in life
and in death, now and forevermore. She is baptized into the gift of
a new relationship this day and nothing in life or in death will ever
be able to separate her from this great love of God in Jesus Christ.
Megan
Jane is God’s daughter and our newest sister and we are now
committed to surround her with a community of love and forgiveness,
that she may grow in her service to others. We are committed to pray
for her that she may be a true disciple who walks in the way that
leads to life. You see, not only is baby Megan gifted with a new relationship
this day, but so are we all. She is ours and we are hers. And the
relationship we have with her, with one another, with all who are
baptized, with Christ Jesus whose baptism we share—this precious
relationship we call “the church” is part of the miracle
of eternal life.
We
caught glimpses of it in the story we hear this morning from Mark’s
gospel. One of the leaders of the synagogue, a man named Jairus, came
to Jesus and worshipped him—that’s what the words here
mean—and begged him: “My little daughter is at the point
of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made
well and live.”
How
often I have heard your stories and your prayers of intercession for
your own daughters and your sons. Prayers when they are born. Prayers
when they start school, when they move to a new school. Prayers when
they are learning to drive. Prayers when they get in trouble and don’t
realize how vulnerable they are. Prayers when they have difficulty
in their classes. Prayers when they are sick. Prayers when they can’t
seem to get life sorted out. Prayers when you meet their boyfriend
or (continued...)
"The
Gift of a New Relationship" by Rev. Patricia Farris, July 2,
2006
girlfriend.
Prayers when they go off to college. Prayers when they don’t.
Prayers when they go off on their own. Prayers when they move back
in.
How
fortunate we are that we can share these prayers in the fellowship
of the church—with small groups, with close friends, or silently
in our hearts in the prayers of the worship time. How very much comfort
and strength we find in knowing that the prayers of this church community,
these special relationships, lift up our prayers as well, bringing
the miracle of eternal life into the joys and the heartaches of every
single day. Be with our daughters and sons, Jesus. Lay your hands
on them. Let them be well and live.
We
place a lot of faith in Jesus when we pray like this. Just like the
father in the gospel story, we’re putting our ultimate trust
in him. Now for Jairus, this was a big leap of faith indeed. Because,
at the time, the rabbis believed that God alone had the power to raise
the dead. A rabbinical proverb said that God held three keys given
to no other—the power to raise the dead, the power to make rain
and the power to enable childbirth. But now Jairus, this leader of
the synagogue, sees that this same power is in fact in Jesus. Jairus
believes that Jesus holds the key to life and death. When all the
others try to dissuade him, it is Jesus himself who turns to him and
says: “Do not fear; only believe.”
Do
not fear, only believe. For Jairus, I’m sure those five words
became something of a breath prayer throughout the rest of his life,
a gift he received as a result of his faith. A breath prayer is like
a little motto or mantra that God gives you to repeat over and over
again, to reassure you, to ground you, to comfort you, a few words
to pray especially at those times when you don’t know what to
pray. This one is a great breath prayer and it comes to us from Jesus
himself by way of Jairus, a man making this great leap of faith: “Do
not fear, only believe.”
Because,
you see, the whole meaning of this story, the whole meaning of our
baptism is this: do not fear, only believe. All ours fears about sons
and daughters, daughters and sons…it’s OK. God gets it.
Do not fear, only believe. All our fears about life and death. It’s
OK. God knows it. Do not fear, only believe. All our fears about our
nation, about this world...(sigh)… God is somehow in all of
it, in ways we cannot now see. Do not fear, only believe.
That’s
the power of the water in this font. That’s the power of this
bread and cup. We are in relationship with one another and with God
and the life that flows in us and through us is life stronger than
death, any death, any kind of death that we fear for ourselves or
for those we love.
Now
the really great thing about Jesus, about the kind of savior that
he is, is that he does the most amazing things, and he teaches us
this mind-boggling stuff about faith, he gives us the gift of prayer—and
then he does something really ordinary to bring it home and help us
remember. In this story, he saves a girl’s life and then he
looks at everybody standing around with their mouths hanging open,
I’m sure, and he says: (continued...)
"The
Gift of a New Relationship" by Rev. Patricia Farris, July 2,
2006
give
her something to eat. For he knows that when we hear something like
“do not fear, only believe,” we will our nod our heads
and want to believe, but a little voice inside will be saying “I
don’t really have that kind of faith yet, Jesus.” So
he tells us to do something he knows we can do. We can all give
each other something to eat.
It’s
why we have Coffee Hour after we worship. We give each other something
to eat to cement the relationship we have just prayed about here
in the sanctuary. Why we have so many potlucks and meals together.
Why we share the bread and cup as often as we do. Jesus gives us
something to eat. We give one another something to eat. Sometimes
it’s literal food, sometimes it’s love. Sometimes it’s
hope. Sometimes it’s encouragement. In so many ways, we are
constantly feeding each other and in it all, God is feeding us.
This
morning, we enter into a new relationship with Megan Jane, and she
with God and she with all of us. Now, it’s about food and
prayer, sustaining our relationships with God and with one another
as we go forward. Relationships we share with all God’s sons
and daughters, all God’s children.
Do
not fear, beloved children of God. Pray. Eat. And each time, let
go of a little bit more of the fear inside and let faith begin to
fill that space in your heart. For Christ Jesus is here this day
bringing the gift of eternal life. Do not fear, only believe.
Amen.
